Her ex was dating Brooklyn, they’d kept it a secret, and Anna didn’t care. Actually—I peeked over at her—she was glowing. Thrilled for them. Anna tucked herself under my arm, curled her hand around my waist, and rested her head against my shoulder.
“How long has this been going on?” She giggled. “Did you like each other before?” Only Anna could ask if her best friend and her boyfriend had a thing for each other while she and he were a couple and be excited about it. This woman was classy like no one else I’d ever been with.
“No.” Jonah shook his head, a hardness there. He was still hurt over Anna. But then he looked at Brooklyn and everything in him relaxed, softened. So, possibly hurt over Anna but falling hard and fast for Brooklyn?
“Yes. I mean, I thought he was cute. And I couldn’t find anything wrong with him and you know that never happens,” Brooklyn said, chagrined. “Sorry I didn’t tell you.”
“Brook,” Anna said, throwing out her free arm. “We tell each other everything. Even uncomfortable stuff.”
“I couldn’t tell you that. Not when you were together.”
Anna sighed. “It’s okay. But tell me everything now. How did it happen?”
Brooklyn and Jonah shared a smile.
His nose wrinkled. “She kind of helped me. A lot.” He waved his hand at me then Anna. “With everything. One day, a couple of weeks ago, she was just talking and I realized she was…kind of gorgeous.” That last part came out breathy. Like his vocal cords could hardly push it out.
Anna lay her fingers against her lips and she smiled. “She totally is.”
Brooklyn blushed. “I am not.”
“You are,” the three of us said in unison. She was. In a nerdy, snarky, brilliant, adorable sort of way.
She blushed even deeper.
Jonah looked down at her with a smoldering gaze. “So I just leaned over and pecked her on the mouth to see what she would do.”
“And?” Anna bounced on the balls of her feet.
He scratched his eyebrow. “She attacked me like a wild animal.”
We all burst out laughing.
Even Brooklyn, though she looked a little mortified. “I’d been holding back for a long time, okay?”
Jonah pulled her against him and rested his chin on the top of her head. “And I realized she was the kind of girl who would always tell me exactly how she felt.” His eyes flashed to Anna and I knew she hadn’t been that girl for him.
“No cap.” I chuckled. If Brooklyn was anything, she was honest. Painfully so.
“Yeah,” Jonah said. “Like she lets me know if I need a stick of gum.”
“Or if you have a wonky eyebrow,” Anna added.
“Or if your ex calls you Blucifer in her sleep,” I said.
Jonah’s eyes skittered to me and something in his expression told me he knew that one. And maybe it had hurt him.
Brooklyn shrugged. “I am who I am.”
“Yeah.” Jonah smiled. “You are. And it’s my favorite thing about you.”
“Mine too.” Anna gave her a soft smile.
“Same.” I had to get that in there.
Anna held up our brownie mix and shook it. “Brownies and Uno, anyone?”
Brooklyn looked at Jonah and though he seemed completely chill to me, she must’ve seen something in his expression we didn’t. “Too soon.” She clicked her tongue. “Give it a few months.” Then her face went back to her normal expressionless state. Which usually meant something sarcastic or biting was about to come out of her mouth. “Matching sweatshirts, guys? With your ship name, really? So cheeseball.”
